Network based application management

ABSTRACT

An environment for facilitating the management of content for users associated with specific partner networks is provided. Users may be granted access to such specific partner networks in accordance with each user&#39;s affiliation with one or more organizations. In accordance with the above, a content management system facilitates the content/information exchange by accepting software applications from content providers. Additionally, the content management system accepts software application specifications or manifests from partner network administrators. Accordingly, the content management system can audit and recommend actions to users regarding applicable software application based one user organizational associations. Still further, the content management system can facilitate requests from affiliated users for specific types of content that can be forwarded to content providers and later made available to affiliated users.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/436,916, filed Jan. 27, 2011, the entirety of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Generally described, computing devices and communication networksfacilitate the collection and exchange of information. In a commonapplication, computing devices, such as personal computing devices, canutilize a wide area communication network, generally referred to as theInternet, to access content or other data from other computing devicesassociated with content providing entities. The type of contentexchanged between the computing devices can vary according to thespecific design/function of the computing device and the type of contentprovided by the content providing entity.

Users can request data from a content providing entity that is deliveredto one or more computing devices in a relatively “real time” basis. Forexample, users can transmit a request, or initiate a transaction, thatresults in the downloading or streaming of content to a computingdevice. Typically, the content providing entity would initiate such atransfer upon receipt of the request from the computing device.

Individual users can identify appropriate content providing entities ina number of ways. In one aspect, users can conduct searches via thecommunication network or other resources to identify appropriate contentproviding entities and initiate content requests. For example, a usermay access a network resource, such as Web page, configured specificallyto offer content for specific types of computing devices, operatingsystems, software applications, and the like. The specificallyconfigured network resources are often referred to as “marketplaces” or“stores.” Depending on the type of content providing entity involved,the results of such user initiated searches can vary. As such, a usermay have difficulty identifying content providers that can providespecific content. Additionally, a user may have difficulty selectingfrom a group of content providers that are known to provide specifiedcontent. Similarly, content providers/content publishers may havedifficulty identifying users interested in obtaining content orotherwise targeting specific classes of users or user types.

Even if content providing entities and content consumers are known toone another, the exchange of information between a content provider anda user of a device is typically individualized in that the individualuser can control which applications are maintained on a device. Forexample, individuals may be establish an individual “online”relationship or confirm a relationship with network resources in orderto exchange information or download software applications. An example ofsuch embodiment corresponds to social network Web sites, in whichindividual users select the software applications that are downloaded orupdated on their computing device, such as a mobile device. However,individualized content delivery approaches can become inefficient forfacilitating the exchange of information between a user and a contentproviding entity based on the user's affiliation with an organization,such as a corporation. For example, an organization cannot typicallymanage the software applications that are made available to users fordownloading via a network based marketplace or store.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages will becomemore readily appreciated as the same become better understood byreference to the following detailed description, when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrative of a content managementenvironment for use in facilitating the sharing of content based on useraffiliations with partner networks;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are block diagrams of illustrative partner networks;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a block diagrams of the content managementenvironment of FIG. 1 illustrating various embodiments for the creationof software application to be included in an information portal forsharing content between devices associated with partner networks;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the content management environment of FIG.1 illustrating various embodiments for the sharing of content betweendevices associated with partner networks via the generation of aninformation portal;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an information portal request processingroutine implemented by a content management system; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a partner program generation routineimplemented by a content management system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally described, the present application is directed to anenvironment for sharing information. Specifically, the presentapplication is directed toward an environment for facilitating themanagement of content, such as software applications, executable code,and the like, for users associated with, or otherwise affiliated with,specific partner networks. Illustratively, users are granted access tosuch specific partner networks in accordance with each user'saffiliation with one or more organizations. Illustratively, affiliationwith a partner network can include, but is not limited to, employmentrelationships, paid or unpaid memberships, registrations, and customerrelationships.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, an affiliation withspecific partner networks facilitates access to software applicationsthat are selected or offered for download to affiliated user devices.Additionally, access to the specific partner network also illustrativelyfacilitates management of software applications on the device by removalor modification of software application already loaded or stored on thedevice. In accordance with the above, a content management systemfacilitates the content/information exchange by accepting softwareapplications from content providers. In this aspect, the contentproviders do not need to establish individual relationships with the endusers and do not need to manage license fees, terms of service, etc.Additionally, the content management system accepts software applicationspecifications or manifests from partner network administrators.Accordingly, the content management system can audit and recommendactions to users regarding applicable software application based oneuser organizational associations. Still further, the content managementsystem can facilitate requests from affiliated users (or unaffiliatedusers) for specific types of content that can be forwarded to contentproviders and later made available to affiliated users.

As described above, access to software applications is made available toindividual users according to their affiliation with one or morespecific partner networks via access to a network based resource.Specifically, individual provider partner networks can maintain one ormore information portals that interact with affiliated users forassessing software applications currently maintained on user devices,for identifying whether one or more software applications should bedownloaded, or for identifying whether one or more software applicationsshould be removed or modified from the device. The information portalcan then facilitate the removal, modification, or addition of softwareapplications on the user device. Additionally, as described above, theinformation portal can receive information from user devices regardingsuggestions or configurations for software applications that arecurrently not available for download.

In one aspect, access to the information can be limited to at least asubsegment of users affiliated with an authorized consumer partnernetwork. The subsets of information made available to such subsegment ofusers can be generally referred to as a partner program. For example, afirst user affiliated with an organization may be associated with apartner program designed for a specific department within anorganization, such as an accounting department. A second user affiliatedwith the same larger organization, but corresponding to a differentdepartment may be associated with a different partner program.Illustratively, the partner programs may maintain different softwareapplications, may be associated with different security or terms of usefor the same software application, and the like. Accordingly, whileaccess to a partner network information portal may be based onaffiliation information, the information made available to user devicesmay vary according to types or categories of affiliation (e.g., apremium paid membership vs. a free entry level membership).

Users affiliated with the authorized consumer partner network can thengain access to the partner program by virtue of their affiliation.Specifically, individual user access rights, or other permissions, aremanaged, at least in part, in accordance with the access rights/otherpermissions attributed to the identified affiliated partner network.Illustratively, the affiliation may be based on a user communicationaddress, such as an email address, device identifiers, such as customchipsets or embedded hardware identifiers, or other electronicidentifiers, such as electronic tokens. Additionally, affiliationinformation may also be based on global unique identifiers, locallyunique identifiers, group based identifiers, security passwords,biometric information, and the like.

Although the present application will be described with regard tospecific system configurations, system components, illustrativeinteraction, and illustrative downloadable content, one skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that the embodiments disclosed areillustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrative of a content managementenvironment 100 for facilitating the sharing of content, such assoftware applications, between devices associated with partner networks.As illustrated in FIG. 1, the content management environment 100includes a number of partner network components 102. As will bedescribed below, each partner network component 102 logicallycorresponds to a collection of one or more users that can individuallyaccess information via a computing device and a communication network.The partner network component 102 can further include additionalprocessing and computing devices that facilitate the interaction withuser devices and content providers. In an illustrative environment, thepartner network components 102 can exchange information viacommunication network 106, such as the Internet. However, thecommunication network 106 can correspond to any one of a variety oflocal communication networks or wide area communication networksincluding both private and public communication networks. Whileindividual users may be logically associated with one or more partnernetworks, such individual users may be remote from a physical network.For example, individual users can be affiliated with specific partnernetwork components 106 without utilizing any of the same physicalcommunication network components or communication network serviceproviders. Additionally, a particular partner network component 102 maynot correspond to any particular physical network of computing devices.Rather, at least some partner network components 102 can relate tological grouping of individual computing devices without any relation tothe physical configuration or physical communication networking of thelogically grouped computing devices.

The content management environment 100 can also include one or morecontent providers 104 for generating content, such as softwareapplications or other executable code. The content providers 104 providethe content for delivery to the user of the partner networks 102 via thecommunication network 104. A particular content provider 104 may notcorrespond to any particular physical network of computing devices.Rather, at least some content providers 104 can relate to logicalgrouping of individual computing devices without any relation to thephysical configuration or physical communication networking of thelogically grouped computing devices. Additionally, one or more partnernetworks 102 and content providers 104 may correspond to a commonorganization or group of computing providing functionality both as apartner network for managing software applications to affiliated userdevices and content provider for delivery content to partner networks.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the content management environment100 includes a content management system 108 for processing informationbetween partner network components 102 and content providers 104. Thecontent management system 108 includes an interface component 110 forobtaining information from users in each of the partner networkcomponents 102. The content management system 108 also includes a dataprocessing component 112 for processing information request from usersand generating specific information portals, or configurations ofinformation portals, based on affiliation information or affiliationinformation types as defined by specific partner network components 102.

The content management system 108 can utilize a user profile data store114 for maintaining individual user profiles. The content managementsystem can also include a partner profile data store 116 for maintainingpartner profiles that will be applied to, or correspond to, theinformation portals that will be made available to each user, at leastin part, based on their affiliation with the partner network component102. The content management system 108 can further include anapplication data store 118 for maintaining content, such as softwarecode, executable code, configuration information, etc., provided bycontent providers 104 and to be shared with other partner networkcomponents 102. Still further, the content management system 108includes an authorization data store 120 for maintaining informationrelated to access rights, such as security information, identificationinformation, terms of use, and the like, for content provided by contentproviders 104 to partner networks 102.

One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the data storesillustrated in FIG. 1 may be maintained in a single data store ordistributed among several data stores. Additionally, one or more of thedata stores may be implemented as Web services accessible via thecommunication network, such as via an Application Programming Interface(“API”). Still further, as will be explained in greater detail below,the data stores 114-120 can be implemented in accordance withmulti-tenant embodiments. In such embodiments, software applications maybe collectively stored or maintained in the data stores for a particularuser or partner program component 102. At the same time, differentselections of software applications or different configurations ofsoftware applications may be made available depending on the particularaffiliations/environments utilized by the user to access the partnerprogram data. Additionally, although the content management system 108is illustrated as a grouping of components and data stores, one skilledin the relevant art will appreciate that the

With reference now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, block diagrams of interactions orrelationships between illustrative partner network components 102(FIG. 1) for utilization within the content management system 108(FIG. 1) will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, individual usersmay be associated (either physically or through a network connection)with a computing device 202. The computing devices 202 utilized by theindividual users of each partner network can correspond to a widevariety of devices or components that are capable of initiating,receiving or facilitating communications over a communication networkincluding, but not limited to, personal computing devices, electronicbook readers, hand held computing devices, integrated components forinclusion in computing devices, consumer electronics, appliances,electronic devices for inclusion in vehicles or machinery, mobiletelephones, modems, personal digital assistants, laptop computers,gaming devices, and the like.

Based on organizational criteria, the users are eventually associatedwith one or more partner network components, illustratively partnernetwork components 102A and 102B. The organizational criteria can bebased on employment criteria, subscriptions, inferential criteria,memberships, customer relationships, and the like. To determine, thepartner network component 102 affiliations, and as illustrated in FIG.2A, each computing device 202 is affiliated at a first level with one ormore organizations 204. In turn, each organization 202 can furthercorrespond to additional levels of organizational criteria, such asorganizations 204. Accordingly, individual users can be affiliated witha number of organizational entities according to vertical hierarchies.Although partner network components 102A and 102B are illustrated withregard to a three-tiered organizational hierarchy, one skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that a partner network component 102 mayhave one or more hierarchies and that each partner network component 102may have different organization structures or utilize differentorganizational criteria to define organizational hierarchies.

Turning now to FIG. 2B, in addition to classification or affiliation ofusers to one or more organizations, in an illustrative embodiment,provider partner network component 102 information may be provided tousers affiliated with one or more organizations with varying scope.Specifically, in an illustrative embodiment, partner network informationmay be characterized into one or more logical networks based onclassifications of users. For example, a “public” network may be definedfor the general population of users associated with a particular partnernetwork component 102 or all users of the content management system 108.In another example, a “private” network may be defined that limits usersaccording to their affiliated partner network component 102.Additionally, the “private” networks can further subdivide users withina partner network component 102 (e.g., “employees” vs. “executives” vs.“top management).

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, a particular provider partner networkcomponent 102 has defined three logical networks 250, 252, 254. Similarto FIG. 2A, each computing device 256 is affiliated with one or moreorganizations 258. The first level organizations 258 can further beaffiliated in accordance with a hierarchical structure. With regard tological network 250, the “public” network, all users affiliated with apartner network component 120 may have access. With regard to logicalnetworks 252 and 254, a more limited subset of users would have accessto the partner information. In one embodiment, each user may be forcedinto a single user characterization (e.g., either “employee,”“executive,” or “top management”). In another embodiment, users may havemultiple characterizations (e.g., all “top management” are “executives”and “employees”; all “executives” are also “employees”; and everyone isan “employee”). Thus, a specific user may access partner information indifferent ways or access different partner information depending on theuser characterization.

With reference now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, block diagrams of the contentmanagement environment 100 of FIG. 1 illustrating the provisioning ofcontent for inclusion in information portals will be described. Withreference to FIG. 3A, a content provider 104 generates new applicationprogram availability information that is transmitted over thecommunication network 106 to the content management system 108.Illustratively, the new application program availability information canbe facilitated by access to a network resource, such as a Web site,provided by the content management system 108. The content managementsystem 108 processes the new application program availabilityinformation by obtaining information that will be utilized to evaluatethe provided software application by partner network administrators.Examples of the type of information that will be included in a newapplication program can include, but are not limited to, contactinformation, descriptive information, security information, pricinginformation, licensing information, identification of particular partnernetworks, and the like. The software application can be included in thenew application program availability information or access can beprovided to applicable software application programs.

After obtaining and processing the new application program availabilityinformation, the content management system 108 then determines partnernetwork authorization information. Illustratively, the authorizationinformation can correspond to various aspects related to theidentification of which partner networks may provide the applicationprogram. In one aspect, the authorization information relates to thespecification, by the content providers 104, of which partner networkcomponents 102 may have access to the software application and the termsof such access. For example, the authorization information can establishthat specific authorized partner network components 102 will only beable to access a subset of the program information based a number ofavailable licenses or other restrictions set by the content provider104. Still further, the authorization information can also establishdifferent subsets of program information according to characterizationof users affiliated with the specified partner network component 102.For example, the content provider 104 can specify various levels ofservice (e.g., gold, silver, and bronze) that dictate that type ofsoftware application or support that the users will received. Asdiscussed above, users associated with such partner networks 102 willthen be limited as to which software application (or version of asoftware application) will be provided via the information portal.

Based on the identification of which partner networks may haveavailability to the software applications, the content management system108 provides new application program availability information to one ormore partner networks 102. The new application program availabilityinformation can include the information provided by the content provider104 as well as additional information generated, or otherwise obtainedfrom, the content management system 108. The new application programavailability information can include information that can facilitate theselection of new application programs, including, but not limited to,pricing, software application and content provider ratings, otherreputation information, content provider history (general or specific),relationship information (e.g., the number of other partner networksthat have offered the software application for download),deadline/timelines, marketing materials, integration information, andthe like.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in embodiments in which a partner networkselects a software application for inclusion in one or more informationportals, the partner network transmits software application selectionand configuration information to the content management system 108.Generally, the software application selection and configurationinformation can include information that relates to the specification,by the partner networks 102, of software applications that the usersaffiliated with the partner networks may have and the terms of suchaccess. In one example, the software application selection andconfiguration information can establish which users or types of usersaffiliated with the partner network will be able to access softwareapplication program. In another example, the software applicationselection and configuration information can also establish differentsubsets of software application program for subset of users affiliatedwith the partner network. As discussed above, users associated with suchpartner networks 102 will then be limited as to which softwareapplication (or version of a software application) will be provided viathe information portal. In a further example, the software applicationselection and configuration information can include software manifestsor configurations that not identify which software applications arerequired to be loaded onto a device, which software application areprohibited on a device and which software applications may be optional.The authorization information may be keyed to specific software devices,manufacturers, users, operating systems, and the like. Still further,the software application selection and configuration information caninclude a specification of pricing terms or software licenses thatdictate the financial considerations to be incurred by the partnernetwork or users of the partner network if the software download occurs.

Once all the software application selection and configurationinformation is gathered, the content management system 108 can then sendconfirmation to the content provider 104 and partner networks 102.Additionally, the content management system 108 can initiatenotifications to the user of the partner network component 102 via thecommunication network 106 that content is available. Illustratively, thenotification can correspond to any one of a variety of notificationmethods and communication media, including, but not limited to,electronic mail, short message service, multi-media message service,micro-blogs, blogs, and the like.

With reference now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of the content managementenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 illustrating the sharing of content betweendevices associated with the partner network component 102 will bedescribed. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a user associated with a partnernetwork component 102 generates a new information portal request whichis transmitted over the communication network 106 to the contentmanagement system 108. Illustratively, the new information portalrequest can be facilitated by access to a network resource, such as aWeb site, provided by the content management system 108. An illustrativenetwork resource will be described below. The content management system108 processes the new information portal requires by associating theclient with at least one partner network component 102.

Based on the association of at least one partner network component 102,the content management system 108 then associates information portalidentifiers with the particular client request. Specifically, thecontent management system 108 determines the information portalidentifiers authorized for the partner network(s) associated with theuser. Based on this association, the content management system 108 thenprovides the user (through a client computing device) with aninformation portal that provides the user access to softwareapplication, executable code, or other content that have been madeavailable based on the user's affiliation with partner networks 102. Inone example, the content management system 108 can cause the generationof user interfaces on a client computing device associated with therequesting user. In another example, the content management system 108can cause the automatic downloading of software to the client computingdevice 102 or other user device. In a further example, the contentmanagement system 108 can cause an audit of a client computing devicefor determination of available software applications or fordetermination of whether prohibited software applications should beremoved or modified.

In an illustrative embodiment, the content management system 108 canfilter the potentially applicable software applications according to thepartner network profile of the associated partner network components102. In one aspect, the content management system 108 can filteridentified program information according to organizational affiliationinformation associated with a user. For example, assume a contentprovider 104 generates multiple versions or mutually exclusive softwareapplications that may be made available to a partner network 102, suchas a full version and a limited functionality version of a softwareapplication. In one aspect, the content provider 104 can specifycriteria, such as business rules, such that users associated withspecific partner network components 102 may be limited to one version.For example, if the criteria specify that a particular partner networkcomponent 102 may only have access to limited version of the softwareapplication, all users associated with that specific partner networkcomponent 102 would be provided access only to the limited version.Accordingly, the content management system 108 would filter, orotherwise prevent, the full version from appearing as an availabledownload for user devices.

In another aspect, the content management system 108 can further filterthe identified program information according to additionalorganizational affiliation information associated with a user or apartner network component 102 affiliated with a user. With reference tothe previous example regarding the full and limited version of asoftware application, assume that users associated with the partnernetwork component 102 can be characterized as public users, a firstlevel of users, and a second level of users. Depending on thecharacterization of the user or the user's affiliation with the partnernetwork component 102, the user would be further limited as to whichversion of a software application would be made available. As previouslydiscussed, in one illustrative example, users associated with differentdepartments within the same organization may be provided differentsoftware manifests or software configurations. Accordingly, the contentmanagement system 108 would filter, or prevent the display of, contentin accordance according to the user characterization.

Still further, in some embodiments, the partner network component 102may allow one or more users to have multiple user characterizations(e.g., a public user and an executive). In this embodiment, the contentmanagement system 108 would filter the available software applicationsaccording to the specific user characterization identified by thecontent management system. For example, an information portal associatedwith a “public” user would include different or less softwareapplications than an information portal associated with an “executive”user, even if it was the same user. In still a further embodiment, thepartner network component 102 may allow one or more users to havemultiple users characterizations based on devices accessing the partnernetworks 104. For example, an information portal associated with adedicated computing device issued by an organization (e.g., a “work”mobile device) could include different software application than aninformation portal associated with a personal computing device (e.g., a“personal” mobile device).

In still a further embodiment, the generated information portal can beutilized to obtain software application requests by the end users 202 orother entities that are processed via the partner networks 102 to thecontent providers 104. For example, an information portal may includesoftware applications in which no pricing has been set by the contentprovider and which cannot be downloaded. To obtain a download, the useraffiliated with the partner network 102 may have to provide additionalinformation (such as configuration information) that is provided to thecontent provider 104. In turn, the content provider 104 can customizethe software application and subsequently make the software applicationavailable via the information portal. In another example, informationportals may have feedback channels for suggesting new applications orapplication features that can be provided to the content providers.

In another aspect, the content management system 108 can manage thenumber of software licenses or billing information between the partnernetworks 102 and content providers 108. For example, the contentmanagement system 108 may have a financial relationship with eachpartner network 102 to be able to charge for information portal use. Thecontent management system 108 can forward at least some portion of thefees charged to the content provider 104 and associated any servicecharges. In another example, the content management system 108 canfacilitate referral fees that are charged to content providers 104 forreceiving new software application requests or new software applicationrecommendations. Similarly, the content management system 108 canforward at least some portion of the fees charged to the partner network102 and associated any service charges

Turning now to FIG. 5, an information portal request processing routine500 implemented by a content management system 108 will be described.The information portal request processing routine 500 begins at block502 with the content management system 108 obtaining an informationportal request. Illustratively, a user associated with the partnernetwork can access a user interface or other network resource providedby the content management system 108 via the communication network 106.Illustratively, the information portal request can include useridentification information, such as login information, cookies, etc.Such information may be submitted upon approval/specification by thespecific user or through the utilization of software applicationprograms, such as a browser software application or a dedicated softwareapplication provided on a user device.

At block 504, based on the user identification information, the contentmanagement system 108 obtains client partner affiliations associatedwith the information portal request. In one embodiment, the contentmanagement system 108 can maintain the partner network affiliations inthe user profile data store 114. Accordingly, the content managementsystem 108 can obtain affiliation information based on the useridentification information included in the information portal request.

If the partner network affiliation is not readily available, in anillustrative embodiment, the content management system 108 can parseinformation associated with a particular user to obtain identificationinformation. For example, the content management system 108 can parse adomain name, or host name, from user contact information, such as anemail address, to obtain affiliation information. Specifically, in oneembodiment, the content management system 108 can maintain a data store,such as a database, of domain names that have been associated withpartner network components 102 (e.g., “partner.com,” “partner1.com,”“partner.net,” etc.). Each specific partner network component 102 canregister domain names with the content management system 108.Additionally, the content management system 108 can also associatespecific domains based on interactions with users known to be affiliatedwith the partner network component 102, such as through learnedbehaviors. For example, the content management system 108 can add orremove domains based on interactions with users known to be affiliatedwith specific partner network components 102.

In another embodiment, the content management system 108 can parse emailaddresses associated with user (either submitted in the informationportal request or obtained otherwise) to identify keywords, such aspartial domain names or hostnames. Using the parsed keywords, thecontent management system can then search a data store of known partnernetwork names or identifiers to match the user with a partner network.In yet another embodiment, the content management system utilizes theemail address provided, or otherwise associated with the user, to verifythe affiliation information. In such an embodiment, upon associating theuser with a partner network, the content management system 108 canforward a secure email to the user at the email address having thedomain associated with the partner network component 102. The secureemail can include a special resource identifier, such as a hyperlink,that accesses a domain provided by the content management system. Theresource identifier can include embedded information, such asconfirmation codes, expiration codes, etc., to prevent fraud.Additionally, the content management system 108 can require additionalconfirmation information or other steps via the domain accessed by theresource identifier. Based on accessing the resource identifier in themanner specified, the content management system 108 verifies theassociation of the user to the partner network component 102. Suchsecure links can allow the content management system 108 to associate auser to a partner network without require additional activity by theuser. Further, the content management system 108 can leverage securityprocedures or protocols utilized by the partner network components 102in managing the use of authorized email accounts.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, based on the client partneraffiliations obtained from the user profile data store 114 or otherwiseobtained by the content management system 108, at block 506, the contentmanagement system then obtains the program information available to theuser based on the partner affiliations. Illustratively, the contentmanagement system 108 may obtain all program information available toall users affiliated with the identified partner program component 102.Additionally, the content management system 108 can conduct an audit orotherwise obtain audit information regarding the software applications,operating system, or other configurations utilized by the requestingclient computing device 102. Based on the audit, the content managementsystem 108 can then determine which of the potentially applicablesoftware applications made available to the partner network 102 will beprovided or made available to the specific affiliated user of thepartner network.

At block 508, the content management system 108 processes the programinformation such that a user can only access content, such as softwareapplications, via the information portal as allowed by any user of theparticular partner network 102. Additionally, the content managementsystem can also filter the program information based on individual usercriteria or based on the identity of the individual user. For example,the content management system 108 can further filter program informationdepending on a characterization of a user or a user's selection of aparticular characterization. Still further, the content managementsystem 108 can further apply financial criteria that may limit thesoftware applications provided to a user based on financial termsincurred by the affiliated partner network 102 or user of the partnernetwork. For example, the content management system 108 may allowpartner networks to specify a total financial obligation for particularusers or types of users that may limit the number of softwareapplications made available to the users. Additionally, the contentmanagement system 108 may allow partner networks 102 to specify totalfinancial obligations for the partner network that may limit softwareapplications made available to individual users based on the cumulativefinancial obligation of the affiliated partner network.

At block 510, the content management system 108 can then transmitresponsive information portal information via the communication network.In one example, a user interface or other notification mechanism (e.g.,SMS, MMS, email) may be generated that allows users to select one ormore software applications for download. In another example, the contentmanagement system 108 can initiate the download of softwareapplications, removal of software applications or modification ofsoftware applications on the client computing device. In a furtherexample, the content management system 108 may generate notifications tosoftware delivery services to make software application available tousers. At block 512, the routine 500 terminates.

With reference now to FIG. 6, a program generation routine 600implemented by the content management system 108 will be described. Atblock 602, the content management system 108 obtains softwareapplication program creation request from a user associated with acontent provider 104 via the communication network 106. Illustratively,the request may be transmitted by accessing and an interface to begenerated on the user client computer. As previously described, thecontent provider 104 can correspond to various groupings of computingdevices, including from partner networks that function as contentproviders 102. Additionally, as previously described, the contentprovided by the content provider 104 can correspond to softwareapplications, executable code, and the like.

At block 604, based on the request, the content management system 108determines, or otherwise identifies, the information associated with thesoftware application that is to be included in the information portal.As previously described, the program information can include informationassociated with the content. Examples of the type of information thatwill be included in a new application program can include, but are notlimited to, contact information, descriptive information, securityinformation, pricing information, licensing information, identificationof particular partner networks, and the like. Additionally, the contentmanagement system 108 can obtain licensing information utilized inconjunction with the delivery of the software application to userdevices, such as encryption keys, etc.

At block 606, the content management system 108 then determines programpermissions for the particular program. In one embodiment the contentmanagement system 108 may utilize preconfigured permission informationdefined according to the content provider 104 (e.g., default permissionsattributed to content provider 104 based on initial configurationinformation made by the content provider). The preconfigured permissioninformation may be stored in the application program data store 118(FIG. 1). Additionally, the content management system 108 may alsoobtain specific or additional program permissions from the contentprovider 104 via a user interface. As previously described, thepermission information can define a limited set of information forspecific partner network components 102 such that users associated withthat specific partner network component 102 can only access a subset ofthe program information. Additionally, as described above, the user canspecify filtering criteria based on individual users, such as criteriabased on the characterization of user.

In another aspect, the content management system 108 can also obtaininformation the users affiliated with specific partner networks 102 mayhave and the terms of such access. In one example, the information canestablish which users or types of users affiliated with the partnernetwork will be able to access software application program. In anotherexample, the information can also establish different subsets ofsoftware application program for subset of users affiliated with thepartner network. As discussed above, users associated with such partnernetworks 102 will then be limited as to which software application (orversion of a software application) will be provided via the informationportal. In a further example, the information can include softwaremanifests or configurations that not identify which softwareapplications are required to be loaded onto a device, which softwareapplication are prohibited on a device and which software applicationsmay be optional. The information may be keyed to specific softwaredevices, manufacturers, users, operating systems, and the like. Stillfurther, the information can include a specification of pricing terms orsoftware licenses that dictate the financial considerations to beincurred by the partner network or users of the partner network if thesoftware download occurs. Thus, the partner network system administratormay have ultimate approval or configuration authority for softwareapplications on a user device.

At block 608, the content management system 108 stores the programinformation. Additionally, at block 610, the content management system108 can optionally transmit a confirmation to the requesting user oraccording to specified contact information (e.g., a system administratoridentified for the partner network component). The store program willthen be made available for access by requesting users as described abovewith regard to FIG. 5. At block 612, the routine 600 terminates.

While illustrative embodiments have been disclosed and discussed, oneskilled in the relevant art will appreciate that additional oralternative embodiments may be implemented within the spirit and scopeof the present disclosure. Additionally, although many embodiments havebeen indicated as illustrative, one skilled in the relevant art willappreciate that the illustrative embodiments do not need to be combinedor implemented together. As such, some illustrative embodiments do notneed to be utilized or implemented in accordance with the scope ofvariations to the present disclosure.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art. It willfurther be appreciated that the data and/or components described abovemay be stored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into memory ofthe computing device using a drive mechanism associated with acomputer-readable medium storing the computer executable components,such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or network interface. Further, the componentand/or data can be included in a single device or distributed in anymanner. Accordingly, general purpose computing devices may be configuredto implement the processes, algorithms, and methodology of the presentdisclosure with the processing and/or execution of the various dataand/or components described above. Alternatively, some or all of themethods described herein may alternatively be embodied in specializedcomputer hardware. In addition, the components referred to herein may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A method for managing mobile devices comprising:obtaining an information portal request, the information portal requestcorresponding to at least one computing device associated with anorganization corresponding to a partner network component configured toprovide access to at least one software application for the computingdevice; obtaining at least one affiliation associated with theinformation portal request, the at least one affiliation being betweenthe computing device and the organization based on a hierarchicalstructure associated with the organization; obtaining programinformation corresponding to the at least one affiliation, the programinformation corresponding to the at least one software application to beprovided to the computing device, the at least one affiliation beingindependent of a relationship between the computing device and aprovider of the at least one software application; processing theprogram information to provide an indication of the at least onesoftware application available to the computing device via the at leastone partner network component; providing the program information to thecomputing device responsive to the information portal request; andprocessing the provision of program information for the at least onesoftware application to at least one content provider associated withthe at least one partner network component.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein obtaining one or more affiliations associated with at least oneinformation portal request includes identifying a domain associated withan electronic mail address.
 23. The method of claim 22 furthercomprising determining affiliation information based on comparing theidentified domain with domains associated with one or moreorganizations.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein obtaining programinformation corresponding to the one or more affiliations includesinitiating an audit of one or more computing devices associated with theinformation portal request, the audit attempting to identify the atleast one software application being maintained on the one or morecomputing devices.
 25. The method of claim 21, wherein obtaining programinformation corresponding to the one or more affiliations includesfiltering program information based on organizational affiliationinformation.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein one or more of the atleast one software application versions are mutually exclusive based onorganizational affiliation information.
 27. The method of claim 21,wherein processing the program information to provide an indication ofavailable program information includes determining pricing informationassociated with the at least one software application.
 28. The method ofclaim 27, further comprising obtaining configuration informationassociated with the computing device and determining pricing informationbased on the configuration information.
 29. The method of claim 21,wherein processing the program information to provide an indication ofthe available program information includes causing the generation of auser interface on a computing device.
 30. The method as recited in claim21 further comprising generating a notification corresponding to theselection of the at least one software application to be transmitted toa computing device.
 31. A method for managing mobile devices comprising:obtaining an information portal request, the information portal requestcorresponding to at least one computing device associated with anorganization corresponding to a partner network component configured toprovide access to at least one software application for the computingdevice; obtaining at least one affiliation associated with theinformation portal request, the at least one affiliation being betweenthe computing device and the organization based on the hierarchicalstructure; obtaining program information corresponding to the at leastone affiliation, the program information corresponding to the at leastone software application to be provided to the computing device, the atleast one affiliation being independent of a relationship between thecomputing device and a provider of the at least one softwareapplication; processing the program information to provide an indicationof the at least one software application available to the computingdevice via the at least one partner network component; and providing theprogram information to the computing device responsive to theinformation portal request.
 32. The method of claim 31, whereinobtaining at least one affiliation associated with the informationportal request includes identifying a domain associated with anelectronic mail address.
 33. The method of claim 31, wherein obtainingprogram information corresponding to the at least one affiliationincludes initiating an audit of one or more computing devices associatedwith the information portal request, the audit attempting to identifythe at least one software application being maintained on the one ormore computing devices.
 34. The method of claim 31, wherein obtainingprogram information corresponding to the at least one affiliationincludes filtering program information based on organizationalaffiliation information.
 35. The method of claim 31, wherein processingthe program information to provide an indication of the availableprogram information includes determining pricing information associatedwith the at least one software application.
 36. The method of claim 35,further comprising obtaining configuration information associated withthe computing device and determining pricing information based on theconfiguration information.
 37. The method of claim 31, whereinprocessing the program information to provide an indication of theprogram information available to the user includes causing thegeneration of a user interface on a computing device.
 38. A system formanaging mobile devices comprising: a data store, implemented on acomputing system having a processor and a memory, the data storemaintain program information defined according to affiliationrelationships; and a content management system, implemented on acomputing system, the content management system operable to: obtain aninformation portal request, the information portal request correspondingto at least one computing device associated with an organizationcorresponding to a partner network component configured to provideaccess to at least one software application for the computing device,obtain at least one affiliation associated with the information portalrequest, the at least one affiliation being between the computing deviceand the organization based on a hierarchical structure associated withthe organization, obtain program information corresponding to the atleast one affiliation, the program information corresponding to the atleast one software application to be provided to the computing device,the at least one affiliation being independent of a relationship betweenthe computing device and a provider of the at least one softwareapplication, process the program information to provide an indication ofthe at least one software application available to the user via the atleast one partner network component, and provide the program informationto the user responsive to the information portal request.
 39. The systemof claim 38 wherein the content management system is further operable toprocess the provision of program information to at least one contentprovider, wherein financial terms of the provision of programinformation are based on the affiliation information.
 40. The of claim39, wherein the content management system is further operable initiatean audit of one or more computing devices associated with theinformation portal request, the audit attempting to identify the atleast one software application already maintained on the one or morecomputing devices.